Ms Lawry and her Children
by anders9898
Summary: Ms. Lawry was an old widow who's only love in life was her children. We follow her story leading up to the nukes and her ingenious plan of survival for her and her beloved little angels. What will become of Ms. lawry? Find out in this short story, it isn't advised that you read in the dark. Especially not if your favorite feline companion lurks in the shadows... (3 part quick read)
1. Part 1

Old Ms. Lawry kept to herself. Her neighborhood hardly knew she existed. While kids played in the street and the neighbors mowed their lawns she just sat in her room starting out her window, rocking back and forth in her chair.

Occasionally a screech could be heard echoing from the run down but enormous three story house. The kids stopped their games and looked, expecting that she'd croaked. Soon it was a common occurrence and the children playing in the street didn't bat an eye. The source of these noises was quite benign, simply a tail caught under her rocker by a clumsy kitten.

The two thing the neighbors did know about Ms. Lawry was that she was rich, her house looming over the neighborhoods small suburban homes. Some might call it a mansion, if it ever were kept up anyway. The other thing they knew for sure was that she loved her cats, there were hundreds of them. What must have started off as a few quickly grew in to a few dozen as they did what animals do.

The neighborhood hardly minded as they mostly stayed in her yard, every night she laid out a feast on her porch, keeping the most adventurous close by. If one were to get close enough they would find pot roasts, turkeys, steaks, and whole hams spread out on a small raised table on her back porch. These were her subjects and she was their queen.


	2. Part 2

It wasn't long before the news of the war included notices to find shelter in the vaults. Old Ms. Lawry seemed to go about her business as if nothing had changed, while the neighborhood dwindled down to but a few stragglers.

Her worries were for her children, all 126 of them. The sirens sounded one morning as she rocked in her chair like always. One last rock, she decided, and then she'd gather up the children.

Taking a large ham out of her freezer she let out calls that the cats by now had learned meant food.

"Mreooww, mreeoowww, meow."

She called to them with the practiced sounds, fluctuating pitch to match that of her children.

"Come along children, we mustn't be moody now. All of you into the hole."

She said as she held open a hatch in her living room floor. The cat's seemed to protest, but soon relented as she dropped the ham down into the depths. The horde of felines struggled to get past one another seeking the delicious ham they'd come to love.

After she was satisfied all had been accounted for she followed them down to the cellar, which lead into an enormous vault. Being a well-off heiress she had no problem having a custom shelter built for her and her cats, it was her only choice given the circumstances. She wasn't about to let her children become ash.


	3. Part 3

Years past and old Ms. Lawry soon fell ill, she was pushing 90 after all. She made sure that the vault would open years from now on its own. Many generations of cats had now brought their population to near 300. She'd anticipated their reproduction and stocked food and water accordingly. It wasn't difficult as the vault was meant for hundreds of people, yet only her and her cats dwelt within.

She made sure the food stores were left open so her children could come and go as they please. The water store was specially designed so that it flowed freely and was easy for her children to access. All seemed well, she was satisfied even if she wouldn't see the light of day. Living in the vault wasn't very different than living on the outside, for her anyway. She had her children and that's all she needed. Taking her last gasps of air her cats surrounded her purring and meowing as she drifted off into her final slumber.

Only moments after her departure, still warm with life, one of the more curious cats began licking her hand. It seemed to know she was gone, her skin becoming clammy and cold as the minutes passed. After it spent a short while trying to illicit a response from its mother it began to nibble at her hand, carefully at first, and then more aggressively. The other cats joined in, gnawing first her hand, and then her arm down to the bone. Not long after all that remained was a pile of bones, the hundreds of cats fought over bits of flesh running off to corners to keep their prized treat from the others. The food store, full of delicious foods, still sat open. For a time, the food stores went ignored, they had found a much sweeter delicacy.


End file.
